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Krissy H. Snyder
Founder and Executive Director
Krissy initially launched the idea of Wildflower Cottage for Children after 16+ years directing at another program. During that time, she expanded the preschool program…
Jordan Savage
Lead Teacher, Preschoolers & Admin Support
Jordan’s work centers around his belief that young children and adults are really quite similar to each other. They both get swept away by the…
Viola Bestmann
Curriculum Specialist
Viola feels continuously inspired by how children discover the world and the people around them with an open heart, a curious mind, and a never…
Caton Cobb
Teacher, Preschoolers
Caton is from Roxboro, North Carolina. She recently graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Child Development (with a focus in Pre-K/Kindergarten and…
Elizabeth Goodier
Teacher, Preschoolers
Elizabeth holds a BA in biology and has been teaching for five years. At the Audubon Society, she cared for local ecology as a naturalist,…
Harley Gant
Teacher, Preschoolers
Harley grew up in the western part of North Carolina—in Taylorsville. She studied Psychology at Western Carolina University and then decided to move to the Durham/Chapel…
Kelly Walker
Lead Teacher, Middlers
Kelly grew up in the small coastal town of Beaufort, SC. She graduated from Appalachian State University in 2019 with a degree in Child Development…
Joselin Cruz Vargas
Teacher, Middlers
Joselin was born and briefly raised in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. She moved to Durham, NC at the age of 9 and has since…
Lily Villeda
Teacher, Middlers
Lily was born and raised in Honduras. At the age of 16, she moved to Durham with her mother. Lily is now working toward an…
Shaina Riley
Lead Teacher, Toddlers
As a life-long learner, Shaina strongly believes that positive experiences in early education will foster a love of continued education. A strong partnership between parent…
Catalina Gonzalez
Teacher, Toddlers
Catalina was born in Tijuana, Mexico. She moved to the United States in 1996, spent 9 years in Racine, Wisconsin, and then moved to North…
Lyla Kolman
Teacher, Toddlers
Lyla grew up in the Chapel Hill, NC area. As a lover of learning who never felt engaged by “traditional” school settings, she is thrilled…
Lisa Greene
Support Teacher
Lisa was born and raised in North Carolina. Lisa completed her Associates Degree in Dental Hygiene at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2010. She also has 20+years of…
Rashaan Thompson
Support Teacher
Rashaan Thompson has a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts/Filmmaking from the Art Institute of Raleigh/Durham. As he encourages others to find their higher purpose through…
Jason Miller
Sometimes Teacher
Jason joined the Wildflower family in December 2020. Although he is leaning towards studying Mechanical Engineering as a next step in his schooling, he has…
Barbra Laird
Music Teacher
Barbra is happiest when she is enjoying activities with her husband and three sons. But, running a close second is sitting on the floor with…
Megan Pender
Creative Consultant, School-Age Summer Camp Coordinator
When Megan thinks about Wildflower Cottage, she sees many elements that inspire children to create. She treasures the program’s reverence toward “the hundred languages” of…
Saskia McPhail
Sometimes Teacher
Born and raised in Germany, Saskia grew up in the beautiful Rhineland area. After graduating from high school, she moved to Cologne to study German,…
Larissa Oryshkevich
Sometimes Teacher
Originally hailing from New York City where she earned her Bachelor’s in Dance Education, Larissa opened up a family child care business almost 28 years…
Diana Shoaf
Sometimes Teacher
Diana has lived in Durham since 1972, and raised her three children into adulthood here. While they were young, she was active in their classrooms…
Board of Directors
In order to provide a lasting, community-based school for generations to come, Wildflower Cottage for Children, Inc. is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization. The non-profit status helps us to remain transparent to all stakeholders—parents, teachers, and charitable donors. All can rest assured that funding goes directly toward supporting the program, staff compensation, and our children's education.
Our founding Board of Directors is comprised of local, professional men and women. Each brings a unique perspective and experience to their role: business management, finances, accounting, law, human resources, education, health care, occupational safety, insurance, advertisement, education, real estate, grant-writing, counseling, etc.
